Meet Steve Erlsten!
Steve first volunteered with Animal Place in 2015 during one of our large hen rescues. “I pulled about a hundred hens from an egg factory,” said Steve. One particular hen wrapped herself around Steve’s finger and into his heart. “Her entire life was spent on wire with other hens above her dropping their feces onto her,” Steve recalled. “She had never met a kind human, and she had never had a perch to roost on. Still, she wrapped her hand around my finger and didn’t want to let go. Holding hands with a hen is a special experience.”
In 2022, he began volunteering regularly, “cleaning barns, washing bowls, and scratching backs.” As a passionate animal rights activist, Steve works for Vegan Outreach, a nonprofit focused on ending violence towards animals. When not working or volunteering to help animals, he spends time with his two guinea pigs and removes invasive plants from the South Yuba River.
What keeps Steve coming back to Animal Place is our animal ambassadors. “I hope everyone who sees these animals living joyous lives thinks about their siblings and cousins that weren’t lucky enough to live out their lives at a beautiful sanctuary,” Steve explained.
Interested in volunteering as an animal caretaker? Steve is one of two volunteers on our Animal Care Training team from whom you can learn about animal caretaking. After just 3 training sessions (or until you are comfortable), you can start volunteering on your own.
Interested in going vegan? Try Vegan Outreach’s 10 Weeks to Vegan program, designed to help people line their lives up with their values.
